Latte review
A self-hosted PHP template engine with automatic escaping, inheritance, and sandbox controls.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Latte is an open-source template engine for PHP applications, suited to developers who want presentation templates separated from application logic. It supports PHP-like expressions and tags for conditions, loops, and output, and can run with the Nette Framework or as a standalone component. Its focus on safe rendering makes it a fit for teams that need controls around how templates handle output or what template authors can do.
Security controls are a notable part of Latte’s feature set. Context-aware automatic escaping adjusts escaping to the output context, while sandbox policies can restrict permitted tags and operations for untrusted templates. These controls are useful when template content may come from authors who should not have unrestricted access. Latte also compiles templates to PHP code, and supports inheritance and reusable layouts to organize shared presentation structure. Developers can add custom filters and functions, and can change or disable the template syntax.
Latte is self-hosted, so it fits PHP projects where the development team is comfortable managing the application environment. It integrates with Nette Framework, PhpStorm, Visual Studio Code, and NetBeans. Support channels are community and documentation, which may suit teams able to work from those resources, but may be less appropriate for buyers who need a stated direct support channel. Choose Latte when PHP compatibility, context-aware escaping, and sandbox restrictions are priorities; consider alternatives if your project needs a different deployment model or support arrangement.
Latte pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Context-aware automatic escaping adapts output handling to its context.
- Sandbox policies can restrict permitted template tags and operations.
- Compiles templates to PHP and supports reusable layouts and inheritance.
- Where it doesn't
- Self-hosted deployment means teams manage their own hosting.
- Its PHP-like template expressions are a logic-based approach, not a markup-only syntax.
- Support is through community and documentation channels.
Latte fact sheet, pricing and score →
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